St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-04-24

his discussion of the subject OF co-opera-
FORD has given q great deal of study. and
his views were formulated in bill which
he introduced in the senate last winter, en-
titled: "a bill to encourage cooperation
and to provide for the formation OF assOcia
tions in the District of Columbia for the
purpose of conducting any lawful bust
ness and dividing the profits among
the members thereof" The bill provides
for the association and organization of indi-
viduals with or without capital. 1t gives
no exclusive privileges. and is only in
tended to aid the natural right of associa-
| ton. In support of his measure, Mr.. STAN
FORD starts out with the proposition that
| i'll a large sense civilization itself rests and
advances on the great principles of cooper
alton. Association is the great lever which
moves the industries, the arts and
the sciences. The benefit of the
| organization of individuals for q
common purpose is that it gives the strength
| and capacity of the abest to all in the as
| ISOLATION. The weakest member and the
| one of least capacity is brought up in adj
vantages to the level of the best. And then
| the result of the association is to bring the
individuals closer to the entire fruits of
| their united industries. Mr.. STANFORD is
so confident in the ultimate success of the
| cooperative plan, that he believes it will
be adopted by the farmers, and that farming
will be done in the future by combination.
A country's prosperity must depend upon
its power of production. which must be
brought about by the most intelligent direc-
ton and application OF labor. As a notable
illustration to show what the value of the
labor of an individual. like the wealth of a
country, depends upon the power of pro-
ductiOn, Mr.. STANFORD cites as an eX-
| ample the comparison between wheat pro-
duction in Egypt and India and in Amer
lea. Wheat is raised in all these countries
| to compete in the same market-England.
| The compensation to the labOrer on the
banks of the Nile is red radish a
day. In India it is about five
cents. In America the harvester receives
50 per day, about forty times as much as
his competitor receives in India. The
wages of one farm laborer in America equal
those of forty laborers in India. yet the
American farmer completes successfully be-
cause he avails himself of the genius of
iuyentors-he cuts and threshes and puts
| into a sack a hundred pounds of wheat for
one cent and half. And so, he argues, in
| every field of labor the compensation will al
ways be in proportion to the production. The
earth'S yield of supplies for the neceSSaries,
the comforts, the elegancieS and the splen-
doris of life are only measured by the
amount of intelligent labor that is applied
| to the cultivation of the soil, to the working
of mines. of qnarrles, of forests and their
products. The more intelligent people
the greater are their wants and with those
| increased wants the greater the demand for
labor. AS the principles of our government
| pervade the whole civilized world and these
ideas are adopted and expand INTO the con-
| troll of other governments the non-prOduc-
ing classes will disappear and their places
be taken by fruitful producers, adding to the
comforts and happiness of mankind. For that
reason Mr.. STANFORD is anxious that our
government shall take the initiative in aid
| ing by legislation the establishment of the
| cooperative plan in all branches of indus
try. In proposing the passage of this law.
| Mr.. STANFORD only proposessto extend to
persons without capital the provisions that
have heretofore existed in the laws provid-
ing for the association of those with capital.
The principle of cooperation of individuals
is democratic one, and, as Mr.. STANFORD
says, is the absolute protection of the peO-
pie against the possible monopoly OF the
few, and renders offensive monopoly. and
a. burdensome one, impossible.